Subrosia, the Tower of Winter and the Rod of Seasons Walkthrough

On the snowy bank right beside the bridge, a few bushes grow next to a row of rocks. Burn the leftmost bush with an Ember Seed to open a cave. Step inside and talk to the man there. He asks you to keep the place secret and hands you 100 Rupees. Leave and follow the lake bank east.

Walk south into Horon Village. The patch of soil in front of the Mayor’s red-roofed house now holds the tree from the free Gasha Seed you planted at the start. Cut it down for a second Gasha Nut. Open it to get another unappraised ring.

On the village’s raised ledge, a heart floats above a short cliff stair, and a bush grows beside the stair. Burn the bush with an Ember Seed, climb up and take the Piece of Heart. It is Piece of Heart 1 of 12; the Heart Piece locations page lists them all.

In the southeast of the village, three small bushes stand in a row in front of the house with a pond. Burn the middle one with an Ember Seed and walk into the cave. The man inside pays another 100 Rupees for your silence. Walk out again when he says he has nothing more for you.

Enter the house next to the pond. The scholar at his desk (Dr. Left) says it is too dark to read. Shoot an Ember Seed at the unlit torch, and he thanks you with the Cuccodex, the first item of the trading sequence. If your satchel is low, strike the Ember Seed tree in the village with your sword to refill it.

Go north into the snowy fields and enter the small house full of hens. Malon is minding the hens because her father Talon has gone to climb Mt. Cucco. Hand over the Cuccodex and answer yes, and she gives you a Lon Lon Egg, the second trade item.

Return to the blue-roofed shop in Horon Village. The 30-Rupee slot that held the Gasha Seed now offers the Wooden Shield. Buy it and equip it. You will need it against Like Likes, which can swallow a shield.

Rosa goes west to Eyeglass Lake. The season flips by itself as you walk, so wait for winter, when the lake is frozen. Cross the ice, cut the snow grass and step onto the swirling portal on the far bank. It drops you into Subrosia, where Rupees are useless and Ore Chunks are the currency. The portal at the Horon end is the way home later.

Speak to the host and agree to dance. Watch his moves and copy them: face left or right when he does, and press the button on his pose. Do not bump into the other dancers. The tempo rises as you go. When you finish as the best dancer of the day you win the Boomerang (Level 1). It stuns enemies and hits switches out of reach, and you need it for a switch in the Tower of Winter. See Subrosian Dance Hall and minigames.

Inside the Temple of Seasons, walk to the central altar and stand on the pedestal. You receive the Rod of Seasons. The four Season Spirits ask you to bring it to them in their four towers. The Rod works only from a tree stump and has no season power yet. See Rod of Seasons.

Leave the sanctum, go south two screens and east one, and enter the tower with the purple dome. A crystal switch sits across a small lava river. Throw the Boomerang at it and a bridge of blue tiles appears. Cross it, climb the stairs, and take the second staircase just south of them to the top room.

Walk back to the East Plaza and step into the portal. You come out beside Eyeglass Lake in the snow. Walk one screen east to the stump by the pond. Sokra is waiting there. He notices that the Rod carries only the power of winter and tells you to swing it from the top of the stump. Answer yes when he asks if you understand.

Climb onto the stump and swing the Rod. The screen flashes and winter arrives, with snow on the ground and the pond frozen so that you can walk across. This is how you change seasons for the rest of the game, and only on stumps. Use the ice to cross the pond and explore the snowy fields.

Walk through the winter fields. Maple bumps into you again and this time says she is hunting for Lon Lon Eggs, so give her yours. She hands over the Ghastly Doll, the third trade item. If she does not show up, keep defeating enemies until she does. Your next stop is the Woods of Winter.